KITTANNING— The game was even after two periods.

The number of players on the ice was uneven thereafter, and Freeport took full advantage in posting a 4-1 PIHLClass Aplayoff victory over Westmont Hilltop Wednesday night at Belmont Arena.

Every goal scored in the game came on the power play. Three of them occurred during two-man advantages.

"Freeport's a very good hockey team and I don't want to take anything away from them,"Westmont coach Art Mcquillan said. "They deserve to move on and we wish them well.

"But marginal officiating played a hand in the outcome of this game. It was even before our parade to the penalty box."

The Hilltoppers (10-10) missed a chance to break a 1-all tie early in the third period as Freeport (16-3-2) took a pair of penalties and played two men short for 15 seconds.

One Westmont shot was deflected off the goalpost. Two other wide-open wrist shots were stopped by Yellowjackets goaltender Tim Zahumensky.

"Timmy is an excellent goaltender,"Freeport coach Dave Hepler said. "He came up big there. ... But we're used to that."

Zahumensky entered the game with a 2.19 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. He has allowed only 19 goals during the Yellowjackets' current 11-game winning streak.

With two seconds left on the Hilltoppers' second power play, Westmont had two players sent to the box simultaneously for hooking and tripping, respectively.

Freeport's Beau Zack scored his 36th goal of the year 16 seconds into the power play, taking a pass from Zahumensky in his own zone, skating the length of the ice and snapping a wrist shot past goalie Ian O'Brien.

Still with a two-man advantage, Freeport struck again 1:27 later. Shane Gallagher took a pass from Zack across the slot and beat O'Brien over the glove hand.

Zack recorded Freeport's final goal 1:06 after that. Westmont just had one penalty expire — leaving it one man short — but the fourth skater never had a chance to get back in the play before Zack scored.

Freeport scored its first goal of the night in similar fashion. Westmont was two men short and was just getting one of them out of the box when John Reichenbaugh beat O'Brien with a high wrist shot through traffic from the left point.

"We work on the power play a lot,"Zack said. "We had a lot of chances and were finally able to work the puck around to the open man."

Freeport had a two-man advantage on five different occasions Wednesday. Westmont's lone goal was scored with a two-man advantage as well.

"That just shouldn't happen,"Mcquillan said. "The penalties took us out of the game."

Hepler said the bevy of penalties occurred because the linemen were able to watch the ice.

"Not much was happening at the blue lines, so their eyes were able to peruse the entire ice,"he said. "They were seeing a lot of stuff."

Freeport faces Mars Monday night at the Ice Castle in Castle Shannon.

Westmont Hilltop 0 1 0—1Freeport 1 0 3—4First PeriodFreeport-John Reichenbaugh 9 PP(unassisted), 10:56

Second PeriodWestmont-Alexander Rohal 19 PP(Brenden Boyle) 8:19

Third PeriodFreeport-Beau Zack 36 PP(Tim Zahumensky) 5:37;

Freeport-Shane Gallagher 17 PP(Zack) 7:04;

Freeport-Zack 37 PP (Jeremy Hepler, Zach Hepler) 8:10

Shots on goal:Westmont 4-5-11-20, Freeport 13-13-12-38

Power play opportunities:Westmont 1 for 8, Freeport 4 for 11